Rotary valve



R. M. FLANAGAN ROTARY VALVE Original Filed Jan. 9, 1945 N Rm v m W N R En O v L T mF m Patented July 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE vROTARY VALVE f ltobcrt lMichael Flanagam Morris Plains, N. J.,

; jassignor-to Bendix Aviation Corporation, Tcterv boro, N. J., acorporation of Delaware 1 Original application January 9, 1945, SerialNo.

' 572,017, now Patent No. 2,542,863, dated February 20, 1951. Dividedand this application De-' I fcember 23, 1946, Serial No. 717,839 1 Thepresent application is a division of my copending application Ser. No.572,017 filed January 9, 1945 nOw Patent No. 2,542,863 of February 20,1951, and relates to improved air distribu- 1 Claim. (01.137-624) Thedistributor valve 4 asshownin Figure 2 is rotatably mounted injasleeve 1. positioned within the housing 3. The housing ,3 is affixed tothe main casting l by suitable, bolts which also serve tor mechanism foroperating inflatable elements to fasten to the housing 3 a topplateB'positioned of the type mounted on airfoil surfaces of an at the upperend of the rotatable, distributor aircraft for eliminatingand preventingthe accuvalve 4. At the opposite orlower end of the dismulation of iceon such surfaces. tributor valve 4 asshown'ln Figure 2,'there is,Anobject of the invention is to provide a novel provided a plate 9. f Icompact rotary air distributor valve mechanism The. valve 4, as .showninFigures 2 and 3, has for controlling the inflation and deflation of theprovided a stem it) from which radially projects inflatable elements. rr wall portions IITandi'LIZQ. forming a segmental Another object of theinvention is to provide a chamber I3 which is closed at the upper end,as novel stem and, ,antifriction ball bearing for viewed in Figures 2,and 4;by a wall I4 andopen mounting the rotary valve so as to preventside at the lower endlby a port 15.. jfThe-v'alve 4.has and end airpressures from causing adverse frica port It opening throughthelcylindricaljwall of tional effects between the rotary valve and thethe valve 4 into t e; h b p flt y sleeve within which the same isrotatably the wall portions II and [them the'chamber I3, mounted. is asecond chamber l1 which'isfclos'ed at the These and other objects andfeatures of the lower end by a wa l portion Iii-and fib r at theinvention are pointed out in the following upp r end by a port] 91 Ports20 and 2| {open description in terms of the embodiment thereof throughth ylin rical wall of'the valve 4 into which is shown in theaccompanying drawings. the chamber I1. I l L It is to be understood,however,ythat the. draw- A Sleeve 22 p ojects throug thep e d is .ingsarefor the purpose ofillustration only, and 2fi fixedly mounted thereto.The drive shaft 5 is are'not designed as a definition of the limits of:I atably mounted at one end the sleeve 22 the invention, referencebeing had to the apand is drivihgly connected to the valve 4 throughpended claim for this purpose. means of the floating spline 6 aspreviously Figure l is a fragmentary side view of the disp a tributorvalve mechanism. 30 Openings 24 are provided in the Plate d ad Figure 2is a longitudinal sectional view of the into the opening 15 in th Valv 4fr m a passa e distributor valve mechanism of Figure 1. 25 formed in thecasting l and leading f om the Figure 3 is a sectional view of thedistributor air p mp 2 as S own a d described in detail in valvemechanism taken along the lines 3--3 of the eferenoted p t ppl at on.Figure 1. 35 As shown in Figure 3, the valve 4 is rotatably Figure 4 isa perspective view of the distributor mounted within the sleeve 7 whichhas provided 1 e, therein ports 26, 21, 28, 29 and 30 opening intoReferring to the drawing of Figure 1, there is passages 3 3 34 a p ve y.formed provided a main casting I which carries a suitin the housing e ps s 3|, 32, 33 and able electric motor for operating an air pump 2 4 areConnected y Suitable p ess e connd n ai di trib t lv mechanism havingduits to inflatable elements, not shown, mounted a, housing indicatedgenerally by the numeral 3, 0n airfoil surfaces of an aircraft fOreliminating The housing 3 has rotatably mounted therein, as icetherefrom, while the passa e 35 op o the shown in Figure 2, a rotaryvalve 4. The rotary atmosphere through a suitable screen 35a fasvalve 4is driven by the motor through a shaft e e at the Outer Side Of thehousing 5 and a snap action spring actuating mechanism The valve 4 isactuated with a snap action so not shown herein. The snap actionmechanism that the port It successively registers with the is shown anddescribed in detail in the copending ports 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30. Thusthe passages parent application Ser. No. 572,017 filed January 3|, 32,33, 34 and 35 are successively connected 9, 1945, 60 with the airpressure in the passage 25. The The latter mechanism effects theactuation of respective inflatable elements or boots operably the shaft5 with a. snap action so as to adjustably connected to the passages 3|,32. 33 and 34 are position the cylindrical air distributor valve 4successively inflated. The passage 35 which which is connected to theshaft 5 through a floatopens to the atmosphere provides a necessary ingspline 5, time delay between cycles of operation of the inflatableelements and also provides means for periodically exhausting the airfrom the passage 25 to the atmosphere so as to effect cooling of theunit, and also serves as the home position for the valve when not inoperation so that all the boots of the ice eliminating system may becompletely deflated at such time.

It will be further noted that as the valve 4 isactuated by the shaft 5in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3 the port It issuccessively moved out of registration with the ports 2'1, 28, 29 and 30and such ports are successively opened to the atmosphere by port 20 asthe port it is moved out of registration with such ports. Thus theinflatable elements are inflated upon the port It registering with thecorresponding valve mechanism for controlling the operation ofinflatable elements for removing ice from airfoil surfaces of anaircraft.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated" anddescribed, various changes in the form and relative arrangements of theparts, which will now appear to those skilled in the art, may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention. Reference is,therefore, to be had to the appended claim for a definition of thelimits of the invention.

ports 25, 21, 28 and 29 and deflated upon the port 2i) registering withsuch ports.

The port 20 opens into chamber 11 of the valve i. The chamber I! has aport l9 at the upper end of the valve 4 through which the exhaust airpasses from the inflated boot and out ports 35, formed in the end plate8. A deflector plate 37 ismounted at the exterior of the plate 8 andfastened to the plate 8 'by a, rivet or bolt 38 having an inner end stemportion 39 upon which the valve 4 freely rotates. The end of the stem 39rests upon an antifriction ball bearing 40. The latter stem 39 and ballbearing 40 arrangement serves to prevent side and end air pressures fromcausing adverse frictional effects between'the valve '4 and the sleeve 1and the to plate 8. It will be seen that through the valve 4 theinflatable elements may be successively inflated and deflated. The portIE of the valve 4 being actuated w th a snap action into registeringrelation from one of the ports in the sleeve I to the next succeedingport.

The snap action operation of the valve 4 is effected through theoperation of a snap action escapement mechanism shown and described inthe copending parent application Ser. No. 572,017 filed January 9, 1945.

It will be readily seen from the foregoing that there is provided anovel compact air distributor What is claimed is:

A fluid distributor mechanism comprising, in combination, a housing, arotary valve member for rotation in said housing, a fluid pressure inletconduit at one end of said housing and opening into said valve member,fluid pressure conduits disposed in said housing around said valvemember and opening radially from said valve member, an end plate atthe'other end of said housing and having fluid pressure outlet openingsleading from said valve member to atmosphere, a fluid pressure outletdeflector plate positioned in Spaced relation to said outlet openings, astem affixing said deflector plate to said end plate and having a freeend portion thereof projecting concentrically into said rotary valvemember for supporting said valve member, a, ball bearing positioned insaid valve member between the free end of said stem and saidro'taryvalve for supporting said valve member from e'ndthrust under fluidpressure at said one end.

ROBERT FLANAGAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references areof record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Wahlberg Jan. 16, 1945

